JP2002254663A - Cleaning device for ink jet part and ink jet device having the cleaning device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cleaning device for an ink jet part and an ink jet device having the cleaning device capable of sufficiently removing adherent ink or the like. SOLUTION: A cleaning device 200 in the ink jet part is provided with elastic projection parts 220 and 230 which remove the adherent ink or the like by contacting with an ink jet port forming part 134 in the ink jet part and a holding part 210 which holds these projection parts. A plurality of the projection parts are held by the holding part, and the amount of projection from the holding part of one projection part 220 is different from the amount of projection of the other projection part 230.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a cleaning device for an ink discharge unit of an ink discharge device such as an ink jet head used in a printer or the like, and to an ink discharge device having the cleaning device for the ink discharge unit.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a printer or the like has an ink jet head. This ink jet head has a large number of nozzles arranged on its ink discharge surface, and is capable of printing on an object such as paper by discharging ink from the nozzles. Further, a piezoelectric element or the like is arranged in the ink jet head, and when a voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element, the piezoelectric element is deformed in accordance with the voltage, and ink is ejected from a nozzle. For this reason, an ink jet head which makes it easy to control the ink discharge is used. The method of discharging ink in this manner is called an ink jet method.

The nozzle of such an ink-jet head is, for example, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 12, the nozzle 11 is formed in the nozzle plate 10, and a water-repellent film 12 is formed in the opening 11a of the nozzle. Since the nozzle 11 configured as described above discharges the liquid ink or stops the discharge as described above, if the nozzle 11 is used for a long time, it is inevitably inserted into the opening 11a of the nozzle 11 as shown in FIG. The ink 13 will adhere. If the ink-jet head on which the attached ink 13 is formed is used as it is, the nozzle 11
The ejection angle of the ink ejected from the nozzle 11 may be changed by the attached ink 13 (skew in the flight of the ink), which has caused the ejection failure of the nozzle 11.

For this reason, a cleaning device 20 as shown in FIG. 13 is used. This cleaning device 2
As shown in FIG. 13, a member 0 is provided with a member called a lip 24 composed of a rubber 22 and a wiper 23 arranged on the holder 21. The lip 24 comes into contact with the water-repellent film 12 at the opening 11a of the nozzle of the ink-jet head 25 shown in FIG. 12 so that the ink 13 attached to the water-repellent film 12 is removed or scraped off. Has become.

[0006]

However, when the ink ejected by the ink jet head 25 is an ink having poor fluidity, such as a UV white ink containing a UV resin, the lip shown in FIG. However, there is a problem that the adhered ink 13 cannot be removed even when the ink 24 is brought into contact. The water-repellent film 12 in FIG.
For example, since it is formed by eutectoid plating of nickel and Teflon (registered trademark), there is no complete water repellency with respect to the UV resin. FIG. 13 shows a large amount of the attached ink 13.
With the lip 24 shown in FIG. 1, there is also a problem that it cannot be sufficiently removed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning device for an ink discharge section that can sufficiently remove ink and the like, and an ink discharge device having the cleaning device.

[0008]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an elastically projecting portion which contacts an ink ejection port forming portion of an ink ejection portion to remove adhered ink and the like;
And a holding portion for holding the projection, wherein a plurality of the projections are held by the holding portion, and a projection amount of the one projection from the holding portion is equal to a projection amount of the other projection. This is achieved by a cleaning device for the ink protrusion, characterized in that it is configured to be different in quantity.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the projecting amount of the one projecting portion from the holding portion is different from the projecting amount of the other projecting portion. The distance between the ink ejection port forming portion and the ink ejection port forming portion is different from the distance between the tip of the other protrusion and the ink ejection port forming portion. For this reason, the contact area where the one protrusion contacts the ink discharge port forming part is different from the contact area of the other protrusions, whereby the manner in which each protrusion contacts the ink discharge port forming part is also different. Will change. Due to such a change in the manner in which each projection contacts the ink ejection port forming section,
It is possible to efficiently remove the ink and the like adhering to the ink discharge port forming section.

Preferably, according to the second aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the first aspect, the one protrusion that is larger than the amount of protrusion of the other protrusion forms a main cleaning part, and The cleaning device for an ink protruding portion, wherein the other protruding portion having a smaller protruding amount than the one protruding portion forming the cleaning portion forms a roughened portion.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the one protrusion that is larger than the amount of protrusion of the other protrusion forms the main cleaning portion, and the one protrusion that forms the main cleaning portion. Thus, the other protrusions having a small amount of protrusion form a roughened part. Thereby, the contact area of the main cleaning unit to the ink ejection port forming unit is smaller than that of the main cleaning unit, and the contact area of the main cleaning unit to the ink ejection port forming unit is smaller than that of the main cleaning unit. growing. Therefore, after the attached ink or the like in the ink discharge port forming portion is roughly removed by the contact of the roughened portion, the attached ink or the like is surely removed by the contact of the main cleaning portion.

Preferably, according to a third aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the first or second aspect, a wiping portion for applying an adhesive ink or the like to each of the one projection and the other projection, A cleaning device for an ink discharge section, wherein a rubbing section for rubbing off ink or the like is formed. According to the configuration of the third aspect, the wiping unit that removes the attached ink and the like to each of the one protrusion and the other projection and the rubbing unit that scrapes the attached ink and the like are formed. Therefore, since each projection has a wiping portion for removing the adhered ink and the like and a rubbing portion for rubbing off the adhered ink and the like, the alternately contacting the ink discharge port forming portion removes the adhered ink and the like more efficiently. can do.

Preferably, according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the second or third aspect, a plurality of the rough removal portions are arranged on both sides of the main cleaning portion. Cleaning unit. According to the configuration of the fourth aspect, a plurality of the rough removal parts are arranged on both sides of the main cleaning part. Therefore, since the main cleaning unit and the plurality of rough removal units alternately contact the ink discharge port forming unit, it is possible to more efficiently remove the attached ink and the like.

Preferably, according to the invention of claim 5, in the constitution of claim 3 or 4, the wiping portion is formed of rubber, and the rubbing portion is formed of felt. This is a cleaning device for the ink discharge section. According to the configuration of claim 5,
The attached ink and the like at the ink discharge port forming portion are washed away by the rubber, and the attached ink and the like are scraped off by the felt.

According to the present invention, there is provided an ink ejection unit, wherein a plurality of elastic projections which contact an ink ejection port forming portion of the ink ejection portion to remove adhered ink or the like are provided with respect to the rotation axis. The rotating shaft is arranged in a cleaning container containing the cleaning liquid, and at least a part of the protrusion is immersed in the cleaning liquid by rotation of the rotating shaft. This is achieved by the cleaning device for the ink discharge section described above.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of projections having an elastic force for contacting the ink ejection port forming section of the ink ejection section and removing the adhered ink and the like are arranged with respect to the rotation axis. Therefore, the rotation of the rotation shaft causes the protrusion to come into contact with the ink discharge port forming portion to remove the attached ink and the like. The rotating shaft is arranged in a washing container containing a washing liquid, and at least a part of the protrusion is immersed in the washing liquid by the rotation of the rotating shaft. Therefore, the protrusion to which the attached ink or the like has adhered in contact with the ink ejection port forming portion,
The protrusions are cleaned by the cleaning liquid and have no attached ink or the like. For this reason, the protrusion can always come into contact with the ink discharge port forming portion in a state where dirt or the like does not adhere, and the adhered ink or the like can be efficiently removed.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the sixth aspect, the tip of the projection comes into contact with the opening end of the cleaning container by the rotation of the rotation shaft. A cleaning device for an ink discharge section. According to the configuration of claim 7, the tip of the protrusion is configured to come into contact with the open end of the cleaning container by the rotation of the rotation shaft. By contacting the tip end of the projection with the opening end, excess cleaning liquid can be eliminated.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink removing section for removing an attached ink or the like by contacting an ink ejection port forming section of an ink ejecting section, and the ink or the like removing section including the ink ejecting section. A pressing unit that presses against the outlet forming unit, a moving unit that moves the ink or the like removing unit so as to rub the ink discharging port forming unit, and a cleaning device for the ink discharging unit, comprising: Achieved.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the ink removing portion for contacting the ink discharge port forming portion of the ink discharging portion and removing the adhered ink or the like is provided to the ink discharge port forming portion by the pressing portion. The ink or the like removing section is moved by the moving means so as to rub against the ink discharge port forming section. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably remove the ink and the like adhered to the ink discharge port forming portion.

Preferably, according to the ninth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the eighth aspect, the moving means is formed by two rotating bodies, and the ink or the like removing section is substantially elliptical by the two rotating bodies. A cleaning device for an ink discharge unit, wherein the cleaning device is configured to be rotated into a shape. According to the configuration of the ninth aspect, the ink etc. removing unit includes the second unit.
Since it is configured to be rotated in a substantially elliptical shape by the two rotators, the ink etc. removing unit can be moved efficiently.

Preferably, according to the tenth aspect of the present invention,
In the configuration of claim 9, a solvent in which at least a part of the ink or the like removing unit that rotates in the substantially elliptical shape is immersed,
And a solvent container for accommodating the solvent. Claim 1
According to the configuration of No. 0, since there is provided a solvent in which at least a part of the ink or the like removing portion that rotates in the substantially elliptical shape is immersed, and a solvent container that stores the solvent, the ink ejection port formation is performed. The adhering ink and the like transferred from the section to the ink etc. removing section are removed from the ink etc. removing section by the solvent.
Therefore, the ink or the like removing section can contact the ink discharge port forming section in a state where the attached ink or the like does not always adhere, and can more reliably remove the attached ink or the like.

[0022] According to the eleventh aspect, the above object is provided.
A rotating body having an ink etc. removing section for removing the attached ink etc. in contact with the ink ejection port forming section of the ink ejecting section, a solvent container containing a solvent, and the ink etc. removing section rotating the rotating body to rotate the solvent. This is achieved by a cleaning device for an ink ejection section, which is configured to be immersed in a solvent of a container. According to the configuration of claim 11,
By the rotation of the rotator, the ink etc. removing unit comes into contact with the ink ejection port forming unit of the ink ejection unit and removes the attached ink etc. Further, since the ink etc. removing unit is immersed in the solvent of the solvent container by the rotation of the rotating body, the attached ink etc. attached to the ink etc. removing unit is eliminated,
The ink or the like removing section comes into contact with the ink discharge port forming section in a state where the attached ink or the like does not always adhere, and can more reliably remove the attached ink or the like.

Preferably, according to the invention of claim 12,
12. The cleaning device for an ink ejection unit according to claim 11, further comprising a solvent amount adjusting unit for adjusting the amount of the solvent impregnated in the ink etc. removing unit. According to the configuration of claim 12, since a solvent amount adjusting unit for adjusting the amount of the solvent impregnated in the ink etc. removing unit is provided, the excess solvent amount impregnated in the ink etc. removing unit is reduced by this amount. The solvent amount can be removed by the solvent amount adjusting section, and the solvent amount can always be an appropriate amount.

Preferably, according to the invention of claim 13,
In any one of claims 10 to 12,
A cleaning device for an ink ejection unit, comprising a solvent supply unit for supplying a solvent to a solvent container. According to the structure of the thirteenth aspect, since the apparatus has the solvent supply means, the solvent in the solvent container can be maintained at a predetermined amount.

Preferably, according to the fourteenth aspect,
14. The cleaning device for an ink ejection unit according to claim 1, wherein the ink ejected by the ink ejection unit includes a white ink containing a UV resin. According to the configuration of the fourteenth aspect, since the ink ejected by the ink ejection unit includes the white ink containing the UV resin, the ink easily adheres to the ink ejection port forming unit. Accordingly, even if the ink or the like containing the white ink containing the UV resin adhered to the ink discharge port forming portion is adhered, it can be more reliably removed.

[0026] According to the present invention, the object is as follows.
An elastic projection configured to contact the ink ejection port forming section of the ink ejection section to remove the adhered ink and the like; and a holding section configured to hold the projection. The present invention is achieved by an ink ejection device having a cleaning device for an ink ejection portion, wherein the projections are held by the respective portions and the protrusion amounts of the respective projections from the holding portion are different from each other.

[0027] According to the structure of the fifteenth aspect, the projecting amount of the one projecting portion from the holding portion is different from the projecting amount of the other projecting portion. The distance between the ink ejection port forming portion and the ink ejection port forming portion is different from the distance between the tip of the other protrusion and the ink ejection port forming portion. For this reason, the contact area where the one protrusion contacts the ink discharge port forming part is different from the contact area of the other protrusions, whereby the manner in which each protrusion contacts the ink discharge port forming part is also different. Will change. By such a change in the manner in which each projection contacts the ink discharge port forming section, an ink discharge apparatus capable of efficiently removing ink and the like attached to the ink discharge port forming section can be obtained.

[0028] According to the present invention, the object is as follows.
A plurality of elastic projections are disposed with respect to the rotating shaft for removing the attached ink and the like in contact with the ink discharge port forming portion of the ink discharging portion, and the rotating shaft is a cleaning container containing a cleaning liquid. And at least a part of the protrusion is arranged so as to be immersed in the cleaning liquid by the rotation of the rotating shaft. You.

According to the sixteenth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of elastic projections are provided with respect to the rotation axis to contact the ink ejection port forming portion of the ink ejection portion and remove the adhered ink and the like. Therefore, the rotation of the rotation shaft causes the protrusion to come into contact with the ink discharge port forming portion to remove the attached ink and the like. The rotating shaft is arranged in a washing container containing a washing liquid, and at least a part of the protrusion is immersed in the washing liquid by the rotation of the rotating shaft. Therefore, the protrusion to which the attached ink or the like has adhered in contact with the ink discharge port forming portion is washed by the cleaning liquid, and becomes a protrusion to which the attached ink or the like has not adhered. For this reason, the projection can be in contact with the ink ejection port forming portion without any stains or the like being constantly attached, and the ink ejection device can efficiently remove the attached ink and the like.

According to the seventeenth aspect, the object is as follows.
An ink or the like removing portion that contacts the ink orifice forming portion of the ink orifice to remove the attached ink or the like; a pressing portion that presses the ink or the like removing portion against the ink orifice forming portion; And a moving means for moving the ink removing section so as to rub the outlet forming section.

According to the configuration of claim 17, the ink removing portion for removing the adhered ink or the like by contacting the ink forming portion of the ink discharging portion is provided to the ink forming portion by the pressing portion. The ink or the like removing section is moved by the moving means so as to rub against the ink discharge port forming section. Therefore, the ink ejection device can more reliably remove the ink and the like attached to the ink ejection port forming portion.

[0032] The above object is achieved according to the eighteenth aspect of the invention.
A rotating body having an ink etc. removing section for removing the attached ink etc. in contact with the ink ejection port forming section of the ink ejecting section, a solvent container containing a solvent, and the ink etc. removing section rotating the rotating body to rotate the solvent. This is achieved by an ink ejection device having a cleaning device for an ink ejection portion, which is configured to be immersed in a solvent of a container.

According to the eighteenth aspect of the present invention, the rotation of the rotating body causes the ink etc. removing section to come into contact with the ink ejection port forming section of the ink ejection section to remove the attached ink and the like. Further, since the ink etc. removing unit is immersed in the solvent of the solvent container by the rotation of the rotating body and the attached ink etc. attached to the ink etc. removing unit is removed, the ink etc. removing unit always keeps the attached ink etc. An ink ejection device that can contact the ink ejection port forming portion in a state where the ink is not attached and can more reliably remove the attached ink and the like.

[0034]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are preferred specific examples of the present invention,
Although various technically preferable limits are given, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these modes unless otherwise specified in the following description.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a printer device 100 as an ink ejection device according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG.
The printer device 100 has a base 110. On the base 110, a table section 120 for mounting, for example, a circuit board or the like to be ejected with ink is formed. An ink jet head 130 serving as an ink discharge unit is provided on the table unit 120.
0. The ink jet head 130 is configured as shown in FIG. 2, for example. As shown in FIG.
Has an ink discharge area 131 which is an ink discharge port forming part.

More specifically, a number of nozzles are formed in the ink ejection area 131. FIG. 3 shows the state of formation of such a nozzle. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a nozzle formation state. As shown in FIG. 3, the nozzle 132 is held by a nozzle plate 133 and has an opening 13 for discharging ink.
2a. A water-repellent film 134 is formed around the opening 132a as shown in FIG. The water-repellent film 134 is made of eutectoid plating of nickel and Teflon, for example.

The ink ejected from this nozzle is, for example, a U (ultraviolet) curable resin.
V white ink is included. The ink ejection area 131 configured as described above is stored in the table section 120 in FIG.
The inkjet head 130 is arranged so as to face the side. 1, a predetermined amount of ink is supplied from the ink tank 150 to the ink-jet head 130 via the ink transport pipe 151. Therefore, the UV white ink is stored in the ink tank 150 and supplied to the inkjet head 130 via the ink transport pipe 151. Then, the head holding unit 14 that holds the inkjet 130
Numeral 0 is arranged movably in the Y-axis direction (the arrow Y direction in FIG. 1) along the Y-axis guide 160 shown in FIG.

The head holding section 140 on the Y-axis guide 160 is provided together with the Y-axis guide 160 together with the X-axis guide 1.
It is configured to be movable in the X-axis direction (along arrow X in FIG. 1) along 70. Therefore, these Y-axis guides 1
By using the 60 and the X-axis guide 170, the ink ejection area 131 of the inkjet head 130 can be arranged on a circuit board or the like placed at an arbitrary position on the table section 120.

By the way, in the ink ejection area 131 of the ink jet head 130 which ejects the UV white ink or the like as described above, the ink is repeatedly attached and ejected, so that the ink adheres. This attached ink 18
Specifically, 0 adheres to the water-repellent film 134 near the opening 132a of the nozzle 132, as shown in FIG. In particular, when the above-described UV white ink is used, the ink itself has a lower fluidity than other inks, and therefore, the ink is more likely to be an attached ink. The water-repellent film 134 shown in FIG. 3 also has poor water repellency with respect to the UV curable resin contained in the UV white ink, so that the ink is more likely to adhere to the water-repellent film 134.

If such an adhered ink 180 is left unattended, the ink ejection angle from the opening 132a of the nozzle 132 changes (skew of the ink), and ink ejection failure may occur. Therefore, in the present embodiment,
A cleaning device for the ink ejection area 131 is provided. Specifically, when the inkjet head 130 is not used, it has a cap portion 190 that covers the ink ejection region 131 and a cleaning portion 200 that cleans the ink ejection region 131. These cap parts 1
90 and the cleaning unit 200, as shown in FIG.
The table part 120 is disposed near the shaft guide 160 and
Are provided outside the arrangement region.

Therefore, the ink jet head 130
Are arranged at a position where they do not hinder the ejection of UV white ink or the like onto a circuit board or the like on the table section 120. When the inkjet head 130 completes the ejection of the ink and cleans the ink ejection area 131, the inkjet head 130 can easily be removed by using the X-axis guide 170 and the Y-axis guide 160. It can be arranged on the section 190.

The cleaning section 200 is specifically configured as shown in FIG. That is, first, the cleaning unit 200 has a holder 210 which is a holding unit configured to be movable in the direction of arrow A in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the holder 210 includes, for example, three lip holding pieces 211, 212, and 213, and these lip holding pieces 211, 212, and 213 are arranged substantially in parallel. Of the three lip holding pieces 211, 212 and 213, the lip holding piece 212 arranged at the center is a projection,
The main cleaning / finish lip 220, which is a main cleaning section, is disposed so as to protrude upward in the drawing.

The two lip holding pieces 211 and 213 on both sides of the center lip holding piece 212 are provided with rough lip 230 which is a projection and is a rough drop off part, respectively, and projects upward in the drawing. Are located. The main cleaning / finish lip 220 arranged to protrude upward as described above has a larger protrusion amount than the two coarse lips 230, 230 arranged on both sides thereof, so that the two coarse lips are formed. 230, 230 are formed longer.

Further, the main cleaning / finish lip 220
As shown in FIG. 4, a felt 240 is provided on one side and rubber 25 is provided on the other side.
0 is formed. The rubber 250 serves as a wiping unit, and has a function of removing the attached ink 180 attached to the inkjet head 130 from the ink ejection area 131. And
The felt 240 is a rubbing part, and is configured to scrape off the attached ink 180.

Printer device 100 according to the present embodiment
Is configured as described above. Hereinafter, the operation and the like will be described mainly with respect to the cleaning unit 220. First, a circuit board for screen printing, for example, is arranged on the table section 120 shown in FIG. And ink tank 1
50 contains UV white ink. Then, the head holding unit 140 holding the inkjet head 130 is moved to a predetermined position on the circuit board using the Y-axis guide 160 and the X-axis guide 170.

Before such movement, the ink jet head 130 is located at the position of the cap 190 in FIG. 1, and the ink discharge area 131 is covered by the cap 190. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the opening 132a of the nozzle 132 in the ink discharge area 131 from drying or the like, thereby causing an ink discharge failure or the like. When moving the inkjet head 130 in this state,
First, the cap section 190 is moved from the ink ejection area 131 by a moving means (not shown) in the direction of the base 110 in FIG. As a result, the cap section 190 is separated from the ink ejection area 131.

After that, the ink jet head 130
It passes over the cleaning unit 200 and is moved onto the circuit board. At this time, the cleaning unit 200
, The cleaning unit 200 does not hinder the movement of the ink jet head 130. Next, the inkjet head 1
When the ejection of the 30 UV white inks is completed, the attached ink 180 is formed around the opening 132a of the nozzle 132 as shown in FIG.

This is formed by repeatedly discharging and stopping ink from the nozzle 132. In particular, when the UV white ink is ejected, as described above, the fluidity of the ink itself is poor, and the water-repellent film 134 has poor water-repellency to the UV curable resin. It will adhere to the water-repellent film 134. If the ink jet head 130 with the attached ink 180 is used as it is for the screen printing of the next circuit board, the ink may be deflected as described above, resulting in defective ink ejection. Therefore, in order to remove the attached ink, the inkjet head 130 is moved to the position of the cleaning unit 200 in FIG. 1 using the Y-axis guide 160 and the X-axis guide 170.

When the ink ejection area 131 of the ink jet head 130 is disposed above the cleaning section 200, the cleaning section 200 which has been avoided until then is removed.
Swings in the direction opposite to the above-described avoidance (upward direction of arrow A in FIG. 4). FIG. 5 shows this state. FIG. 5 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the inkjet head 130 and the cleaning unit 200. When the ink-jet head 130 reciprocates on the cleaning unit 200 as shown by the arrow in FIG. 5, the ink ejection area 131 of the ink-jet head 130 has the main cleaning / finish lip 220 of the cleaning unit 200 and the rough lips 230 arranged on both sides thereof.
Will come into contact with

That is, the tips of the main cleaning / finish lip 220 and the rough lip 230 come into contact with the water-repellent film 134 of FIG. At this time, since the main cleaning / finish lip 220 is formed longer than the coarse lip 230 disposed on both sides, the contact area with the water repellent film 134 is increased, and the lip 220 is more strongly contacted with the water repellent film 134. become. Incidentally, the main cleaning / finish lip 220 is formed of rubber 250 on one side as shown in FIG. This rubber 250 is the water repellent film 1
When the ink contacts the water-repellent film 134, the ink acts to wipe off the ink 180 attached to the water-repellent film 134, that is, acts to wipe.

On the other hand, when the felt 240 comes into contact with the water-repellent film 134, the felt 240 acts to scrape off the ink 180 adhered to the water-repellent film 134, ie, to rub. Further, the rough lips 230 arranged on both sides of the main cleaning / finish lip 220 acting as described above.
As with the main cleaning / finish lip 220, rubber 25
0, has a felt 240 on the other side. However, since the rough lip 220 is formed shorter than the main cleaning / finish lip 220, the contact area with the water repellent film 134 is small, and the contact pressure is also small.

That is, when the rough lips 230 on both sides are in contact with the water-repellent film 134, they exert an action of roughly removing the adhered ink. After the main cleaning, the adhered ink 180 is surely removed from the water-repellent film 134. As described above, the printer 100 according to the present embodiment
Can be reliably removed from the water-repellent film 134, even if a UV white ink that is easy to adhere to is used. An excellent printer device that does not cause a defect is provided.

(Modification of First Embodiment) FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing a cleaning unit 300 of a printer according to a modification of the printer 100 of the above-described first embodiment. The printer device according to the present modification differs from the printer device 100 according to the above-described first embodiment only in the configuration of the cleaning unit 300. Therefore, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and the like. The description will be omitted, and the following description will focus on the differences.

The cleaning section 300 of this modification is different from the cleaning section 200 of the first embodiment in that it has only two lip holding pieces 311. That is, FIG.
Lip holding piece 211 formed on the holder 210 of
A configuration in which only the lip holding piece 212 at the center of the 212 and 213 is removed is the configuration of the holder 300 of the present modified example. Even with such a configuration, by contacting the plurality of coarse lips 330 with the inkjet head 130, the adhered ink 180 can be more reliably removed from the water-repellent film 134, unlike the related art.

Further, one of the two rough lips 330 in FIG. 6 may be configured to be longer than the other, and may have the same configuration as the main cleaning / finish lip 220 of the first embodiment.
In this case, since the contact areas of the two lips with the water-repellent film 134 are different from each other, the shorter rough lip performs the rough cleaning, and the longer main cleaning / finish lip performs the main cleaning. Can be removed from the water-repellent film 134.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 7 shows a cleaning unit 4 of a printer device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows 00. The printer of the present embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except for the cleaning unit 400, and therefore, is denoted by the same reference numerals and the like, and the description thereof will be omitted. Hereinafter, differences will be mainly described. As shown in FIG. 7, the cleaning unit 400 of the printer according to the present embodiment includes a cleaning container 410 for storing a cleaning liquid 420. The cleaning liquid 420 is, for example, pure water or 1
Alcohol solvent of less than 00%. Further, a rotating shaft 430 on which a plurality of lips 440 as projections are arranged is formed in the cleaning container 410.

The rotation shaft 430 rotates in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 7, and this rotation causes, for example, four lips 440 to rotate. The tip of the lip 440 is impregnated with the cleaning liquid 420 when it is moved by the rotating shaft 430 toward the bottom of the cleaning container 410. Further, in the present embodiment, for example, four lips 440 are arranged, but the lengths thereof are all the same. A felt 240 is formed on one side of the lip 440, and a rubber 2 is formed on the other side.
50 are formed. In addition, these lips 440
Rotates and reaches the highest part in the figure, that is, near the top, and comes into contact with the water-repellent film 134 of the inkjet head 130 (not shown).

At this time, when the rubber 250 on one side of the lip 440 contacts the water repellent film 134, the water repellent film 134
Works to wipe off the attached ink 180. The felt 240 on the other side of the lip 440 is
When the contact is made, the ink acts to scrape off the ink 180 attached to the water-repellent film 134. In the state where the four lips 440 having the rubber 250 and the felt 240 are rotating, the ink-jet head 130 is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow C in FIG.
When the ink jet head 130 moves in the direction shown in FIG.
The water-repellent film 134 of the felt 24 of the four lips 440
0 side and rubber 250 side alternately contact. In particular,
For example, the attached ink 180 of the water-repellent film 134 is wiped off by the rubber 250, and the remaining attached ink 180 is scraped off by the felt 240. Such an operation is performed by the four lips 440 in order, so that the ink 1
80 will be more completely removed.

Further, as described above, the contact with the water-repellent film 134
Lip 44 for wiping or rubbing attached ink 180
At 0, the attached ink 180 is attached. Therefore, after the lip 440 contacts the water-repellent film 134, the cleaning container 41
The cleaning liquid 420 is immersed in the cleaning liquid 420. As a result, the ink 180 attached to the lip 440 is washed away from the surface of the lip 440 by the cleaning liquid 420. Then, in a state where the attached ink 180 is not attached,
It comes into contact with the water-repellent film 134 again. As described above, since the surface of the tip of the lip 440 is always washed and rinsed with the attached ink 180, even if the cleaning unit 400 of the present embodiment is used for a long time, the lip 440 can be used.
The above-mentioned wiping and scraping action does not decrease. Therefore, since it is not necessary to frequently replace the lip 440 while paying attention to the dirt on the lip 440, the cost of the entire printer can be reduced.

Further, at the end of the washing container 410,
As shown in FIG. 7, two draining portions 411 are formed, for example. As shown in FIG. 7, the tip of the lip 440 comes into contact with the drainer 411. That is, after the rotating shaft 430 rotates and the lip 440 is impregnated with the cleaning liquid 420 and before the lip 440 contacts the water-repellent film 134,
The tip of the lip 440 always contacts the drain 411. By this contact, the excess cleaning liquid 420 attached to the tip of the lip 440 can be dropped, and the excessive cleaning liquid 420 can be prevented from adhering to the water-repellent film 134.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 8 shows a cleaning unit 5 of a printer device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
It is a schematic perspective view which shows 00. Since many configurations of the printer device according to the present embodiment are common to those of the printer device according to the above-described second embodiment, common portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and the like, and description thereof is omitted. The following description focuses on the differences.

The cleaning section 500 of the printer according to the present embodiment has a solvent container 510 containing a solvent 520. The solvent 520 is, for example, an alcohol solvent of 100% or less. This solvent 520 is the second solvent described above.
It plays the same role as the cleaning liquid 420 of the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, a rotating body 530 that rotates in the direction of arrow D in the figure is disposed in the solvent container 510. The surface of the rotating body 530 has a solvent 5
Solvent absorber 540 which is an ink or the like removing unit that absorbs 20
Are formed. Therefore, the rotation of the rotating body 530 causes the solvent absorber 540 to rotate, and the solvent container 510 to rotate.
The solvent 520 in the inside will be impregnated as shown in FIG.

A draining roller 550, which is a solvent amount adjusting unit, is provided so as to be in contact with the solvent absorber 540 in order to remove the excess solvent 520 absorbed by the solvent absorber 540. The draining roller 550 removes the excess solvent 520 and removes the solvent absorber roller 540.
Comes into contact with the water-repellent film 134 of the inkjet head 130. The inkjet head 130 is brought into contact with the solvent absorber roller 540 that has absorbed the appropriate amount of the solvent 520 as shown by the arrow E in FIG.

Thus, the solvent absorber roller 540 is
The attached ink 180 of the water-repellent film 134 of the inkjet head 130 is absorbed, and the attached ink 180 is
Acts to remove from the surface of The attached ink 180 thus removed moves together with the solvent absorber roller 540, and when the solvent absorber roller 540 is immersed in the solvent 520 in the solvent container 510, the solvent 520 of the solvent container 510 is removed from the solvent absorber roller 540. Move in. As a result, the solvent absorber roller 540 does not have the attached ink 180. As described above, in the cleaning unit 500 of the present embodiment, the ink 180 that has efficiently adhered to the water-repellent film 134 of the inkjet head 130 by the solvent absorber roller 540 containing the solvent 520.
And the attached ink 180 is transferred into the solvent 520 in the solvent container 510.

Therefore, when the solvent absorbing roller 540 comes into contact with the water-repellent film 134, the ink 180 is not always attached to the solvent absorbing roller 540, and the solvent absorbing roller 540 is frequently watched with regard to the contamination of the solvent absorbing roller 540. Since there is no need to replace the printer, the cost of the entire printer can be reduced.

(Fourth Embodiment) FIG. 9 shows a cleaning unit 600 of a printer according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. Since the printer according to the present embodiment has many parts in common with the printer according to the third embodiment, the common parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and the like, and the description thereof will be omitted. I will explain mainly.

The cleaning section 600 according to the present embodiment
As in the third embodiment, the solvent container 510 and the solvent 52
0, a solvent absorber roller 540, a drainer roller 550, and the like. However, unlike the third embodiment, it has a solvent supply means. Specifically, the solvent supply means includes a solvent tank 610 for storing a solvent for replenishing the solvent 520 into the solvent container 510,
Connecting pipe 620 for sending solvent 520 to solvent container 510
And Further, the solvent tank 610 is provided with a solvent injection port lid 611 which is a lid of an opening for injecting the solvent 520 into the solvent tank 610. Further, the solvent tank 610 includes a water amount sensor 612 and an indicator 61.
3 is also provided.

The cleaning section 600 having such a solvent tank 610 and the like
When it is necessary to replenish the solvent 520 in the solvent container 510 in the step of removing the ink 180 attached to the water-repellent film 134, the appropriate amount of the solvent 520 is always supplied to the solvent tank 61.
Supplied from 0. Therefore, since it is not necessary to stop the operation of the cleaning unit 600 for replenishing the solvent 520, the operation efficiency of the printer device is further improved.

(Fifth Embodiment) FIG. 10 is a schematic explanatory view showing a cleaning unit 700 of a printer device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. Since the printer device of the present embodiment has many configurations in common with the printer device according to the above-described first embodiment, common portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and the like, and description thereof is omitted. The following description focuses on the differences.

As shown in FIG. 10, the cleaning unit 700 of this embodiment includes a nonwoven fabric belt 710 made of, for example, a nonwoven fabric, which is a unit for removing ink and the like, and a moving means for moving the nonwoven fabric belt 710 in the left and right direction in the figure. Has two pulleys 720. The cleaning unit 700 also has a pressing unit 730 that is a pressing unit that presses the nonwoven fabric belt 710 against the water-repellent film 134 of the inkjet head 130.

The cleaning section 700 thus configured operates as follows. That is, first,
The pressing member 730 located below the water-repellent film 134 of the inkjet head 130 is raised, and the nonwoven fabric belt 71
0 is pressed against the water-repellent film 134. Then, in this state, the two pulleys 720 move, for example, in the direction of the arrow. Then, the nonwoven fabric belt 710 moves so as to rub the surface of the water-repellent film 134. In other words, when the nonwoven fabric belt 710 is pressed against the water repellent film 134, the ink 180 attached to the water repellent film 134 is
Absorbed in 10. Then, the attached ink 180 not absorbed by this pressing is completely removed from the surface of the water-repellent film 134 by the rubbing operation of the nonwoven fabric belt 710 by the pulley 720.

(Sixth Embodiment) FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view showing a cleaning unit 800 of a printer according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. Since the printer according to the present embodiment has the same configuration as the printer of the above-described fourth embodiment, the common configuration is denoted by the same reference numeral and the like, and the description thereof will be omitted. This will be described below mainly.

As shown in FIG. 11, in the cleaning unit 800 of the printer according to the present embodiment, the non-woven fabric belt 810 serving as an ink removing unit is rotated in a substantially elliptical shape by two pulleys 820 serving as rotating bodies. It is configured as follows. In addition, the nonwoven fabric belt 820 is
30 is configured to be impregnated with the solvent 520, and the solvent 520 is absorbed by the nonwoven fabric belt 810. A draining roller 550 for removing the solvent 520 impregnated in the nonwoven fabric belt 810 is disposed on the nonwoven fabric belt 810. Further, a pressing member 840 for pressing the non-woven fabric belt 810 against the water-repellent film 134 of the ink-jet head 130 is formed at a position corresponding to the portion of the non-woven fabric belt 810 where the inkjet head 130 is arranged.

Further, similarly to the fourth embodiment, a solvent tank 610 and a connecting pipe 620 are connected to the solvent container 830 so that an appropriate amount of the solvent 520 can be constantly replenished in the solvent container 830. It has become. The cleaning unit 800 of the printer according to the present embodiment is configured as described above, and operates as follows. First, the inkjet head 130 is arranged above the pressing tool 840. Then, the pressing tool 840 moves upward to press the nonwoven fabric belt 810 against the water-repellent film 134 of the inkjet head 130. At this time, the ink 180 attached to the water-repellent film 134 is absorbed by the nonwoven fabric belt 810.

At this time, the attached ink 18 not absorbed
In the case of 0, the water-repellent film 134 is rubbed with the nonwoven fabric belt 810 by moving to the horizontal arrow in the drawing of the ink jet head 130 and is completely removed. In particular,
Since the nonwoven fabric belt 810 contains an appropriate amount of the solvent 520, the attached ink 180 moves smoothly to the nonwoven fabric belt 810. Thereafter, when cleaning the next inkjet head 130, the pulley 82
0 rotates and the part where the attached ink 180 is not attached,
The ink 180 attached to the water-repellent film 134 is removed. The portion of the nonwoven belt 810 having the attached ink 180 is
Eventually, it will be immersed in the solvent 520 in the solvent container 830, where the attached ink 180 will be transferred into the solvent 520.

Thereafter, the rotation of the pulley 820 causes the solvent 52
The non-woven fabric belt 810 coming out from the inside
At 0, the excess solvent 520 is removed and the ink 180 attached to the inkjet head 130 is removed again. Thus, according to the present embodiment, the inkjet head 13
The non-woven belt 8
10 and efficiently remove the nonwoven fabric belt 8
The cleaning of 10 can be performed easily. Further, since an appropriate amount of the solvent 520 in the solvent container 830 is always supplied from the solvent tank 610, the operation efficiency of the printer device can be improved.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the claims. The configuration of the above embodiment can be partially omitted or changed to another arbitrary combination not described above.

[0078]

As described above, according to the present invention,
It is possible to provide a cleaning device for an ink discharge section capable of sufficiently removing adhered ink and the like, and an ink discharge device having the cleaning device.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a printer device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the inkjet head of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view illustrating a nozzle formation state of the inkjet head of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a cleaning unit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a schematic explanatory view showing the relationship between the cleaning unit of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing a modification of the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a schematic sectional view illustrating a cleaning unit of a printer device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing a cleaning unit of a printer device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a cleaning unit of a printer device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic explanatory view showing a cleaning unit of a printer device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view showing a cleaning unit of a printer device according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view showing a state of forming nozzles of an inkjet head.

FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view showing a conventional cleaning device.

[Explanation of symbols]

100 printer device 110 base 120 table part 130 inkjet head 131 ink discharge area 132 nozzle 132a opening 133 nozzle plate 134・ Water-repellent film 140 ・ ・ ・ Head holding unit 150 ・ ・ ・ Ink tank 151 ・ ・ ・ Ink transport tube 160 ・ ・ ・ Y axis guide 170 ・ ・ ・ X axis guide 180 ・ ・ ・ Adhered ink 190 ・ ・ ・ Cap part 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 8
00: Cleaning part 210: Holder 211, 212, 213: Lip holding piece 220: Main cleaning / finish lip 230, 330: Coarse lip 240: Felt 250: Rubber 410 ··· Cleaning container 411 · · · Drainer 420 · · · Cleaning solution 430 · · · Rotating shaft 440 · · · Lips 510 and 830 · · · Solvent container 520 · · · solvent 530 · · · rotating body 550 · · · Draining roller 610 ... Solvent tank 611 ... Solution inlet lid 612 ... Water amount sensor 613 ... Indicator 620 ... Connecting pipe 710,810 ... Non-woven fabric belt 720,820 ... Pulley 730,840 ... Pressing tools

Claims (18)

[Claims] 1. An ink ejection section comprising: a projection having elasticity for contacting an ink ejection port forming section of an ink ejection section to remove adhered ink and the like; and a holding section for holding the projection. A plurality of the ink ejection sections are held by the holding section, and are configured such that a projection amount of one projection section from the holding section is different from a projection amount of another projection section. Cleaning device. 2. The one protruding portion which is larger than the protruding amount of the other protruding portion forms a main cleaning portion, and has a smaller protruding amount than the one protruding portion forming the main cleaning portion. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the other protrusion forms a roughened portion. 3. The wiping unit for removing the attached ink and the like on each of the one projection and the other projection, and a rubbing unit for scraping off the attached ink and the like are formed. The cleaning device for an ink ejection unit according to claim 2. 4. The cleaning device for an ink ejection unit according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of the rough removal units are arranged on both sides of the main cleaning unit. 5. The cleaning device for an ink ejection unit according to claim 3, wherein the wiping unit is formed of rubber, and the rubbing unit is formed of felt. 6. A plurality of projections having an elastic force for contacting an ink ejection port forming portion of an ink ejection portion and removing adhered ink and the like are arranged with respect to a rotation axis. The cleaning device for an ink discharge unit, wherein the cleaning unit is disposed in a cleaning container containing the cleaning liquid, and at least a part of the protrusion is immersed in the cleaning liquid by rotation of the rotation shaft. 7. The ink discharge unit according to claim 6, wherein the tip of the protrusion contacts the opening end of the cleaning container when the rotation shaft rotates. Cleaning device. 8. An ink removing unit that removes adhered ink or the like by contacting an ink discharge opening forming unit of an ink discharging unit, and a pressing unit that presses the ink removing unit against the ink discharge opening forming unit. And a moving means for moving the ink removing section so as to rub the ink discharge port forming section. 9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moving unit is formed by two rotating bodies, and the ink removing unit is rotated by the two rotating bodies in a substantially elliptical shape. 9. The cleaning device for an ink discharge section according to 8. 10. The apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising: a solvent in which at least a part of the ink or the like removing section that rotates in the substantially elliptical shape is immersed, and a solvent container that stores the solvent. Cleaning device for ink ejection section. 11. A rotating body having an ink removing section for removing attached ink and the like in contact with an ink ejection port forming section of an ink ejecting section, a solvent container containing a solvent, and the ink etc. removing section being a rotating body. A cleaning device for the ink discharge unit, wherein the cleaning device is configured to be immersed in the solvent of the solvent container by rotation of the ink container. 12. The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a solvent amount adjusting unit for adjusting the amount of the solvent impregnated in the ink etc. removing unit. 13. The cleaning device for an ink ejection section according to claim 10, further comprising a solvent supply unit that supplies a solvent into the solvent container. 14. The cleaning device for an ink ejection unit according to claim 1, wherein the ink ejected by the ink ejection unit includes a white ink containing a UV resin. . 15. A protrusion having an elastic force for removing an attached ink or the like by contacting an ink discharge port forming portion of an ink discharge portion, and a holding portion for holding the protrusion, wherein the protrusion is provided. A plurality of the ink projecting portions, wherein a plurality of the projecting portions are held by the holding portion, and a projecting amount of the one projecting portion from the holding portion is different from a projecting amount of the other projecting portion. An ink ejection device having a cleaning device. 16. A plurality of projections having an elastic force for contacting an ink ejection port forming portion of an ink ejection portion and removing adhered ink and the like are arranged with respect to a rotation axis. Wherein the at least a portion of the protrusion is configured to be immersed in the cleaning liquid by rotation of the rotation shaft. apparatus. 17. An ink removing section that removes adhered ink and the like by contacting an ink discharge port forming section of an ink discharging section, and a pressing section that presses the ink etc. removing section against the ink discharge port forming section. And a moving means for moving the ink removing section so as to rub the ink discharge port forming section. 18. A rotating body having an ink or the like removing section for removing attached ink or the like in contact with an ink ejection port forming section of an ink ejecting section, a solvent container containing a solvent, and the ink or the like removing section being a rotating body. An ink discharge device having a cleaning device for an ink discharge portion, wherein the ink discharge device is configured to be immersed in a solvent of the solvent container by rotation of the ink container.